1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and to an arrangement for controlling the headlights of automotive vehicles, and in particular car headlights.
2. Description of the Related Art
The design of modern cars in which the front part of the car dips makes it difficult to fit extra lights effectively. Extra lights impair the appearance of the car, constitute a greater accident risk to unprotected road users and make the car more difficult to wash. Extra lights also impair the aerodynamics of the car and have a negative effect on engine cooling, since they are normally fitted in front of the engine radiator.
There is a significant need to improve full-beam lighting for certain categories of drivers who drive in certain regions, and particularly with respect to certain markets, even though conventional headlights will satisfy many users.
It has become progressively more usual for car owners to replace standard bulbs in existing headlamps with bulbs of greater power, in order to obtain more powerful full beam lighting. However, bulbs of greater power damage the reflectors, by changing the reflectance of the reflectors as a result of higher temperature in the headlamp. The higher temperature can even deform the reflectors, resulting in a distorted light image.
Furthermore, a more powerful bulb has the drawback of necessitating that the driver dip the lights earlier when driving in the dark on a typical road with repeated encounters with oncoming traffic interspersed with a clear road ahead, so as not to dazzle the drivers of oncoming traffic, as opposed to the case when using a standard bulb. This means that the driver's eyes must constantly become accustomed to strong light, i.e. when the lights are on full beam, and a much weaker, dipped light, where dipped lighting is used over a longer distance to prevent dazzling of oncoming traffic. This drawback is the reason why drivers do not normally have extra lights, such as long-distance lighting, switched-on when driving along roads on which oncoming vehicles are frequently encountered, therewith requiring the lights to be dipped repeatedly.
This problem is solved in accordance with the present invention by providing weak headlights for certain situations while eliminating the aforesaid drawback and, at the same time, eliminating the need of extra lighting.